Romantic Meal for Two

Valentine’s Day is a week away, and it’s traditional for couples to enjoy a romantic meal together.  But why go to a crowded restaurant when you can create a romantic dinner for two in the privacy of your home (and at a fraction of the cost)?  First, spend a little time on a tablescape.  Use your best dinnerware and flatware, along with red and white linens.  Use heart-shaped paper doilies for placemats or coasters, or sprinkle small valentines across a white tablecloth.  Use your imagination to create the ambiance of an upscale restaurant or fresco. Place your valentine flowers as your centerpiece, if you receive a Valentine delivery.  Or a vase with a single red carnation will do.  Don’t forget a candle or two!

This meal’s simple, affordable, and won’t keep you in the kitchen all afternoon.

Menu:

Grilled Salmon Fillets
Steamed Asparagus
Brown Rice with toasted almonds
Skinny Cow® dessert

Ingredients:

2 frozen salmon fillets, approx. 6 oz.
½ pound fresh asparagus spears (smallest in diameter available is most tender)
½ cup raw brown rice
1 cup fat-free chicken or beef broth
2 Skinny Cow® chocolate mint ice cream sandwiches
1 small tub sugar free Cool Whip®
1 piece peppermint candy

Directions:

Make dessert a day ahead by placing the two ice cream sandwiches in a small freezer-safe container.  Cover the sandwiches completely with the Cool Whip® including all corners of the container.  Crush the piece of peppermint candy and sprinkle over the Cool Whip®.  Freeze.

Take two frozen salmon fillets (Wild Alaskan is best) and thaw in the refrigerator.  Meanwhile, cook ½ cup long grain brown rice in 1 cup fat-free chicken broth in a one-quart covered saucepan until done (Time varies according to cookware, but mine takes about thirty minutes on lowest heat if I don’t lift the lid).  Preheat a 10″ skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 Tablespoons slivered almonds.  No oil or spray is necessary since nuts contain oil.  Stir almonds occasionally until browned (watch carefully; nuts cook quickly), about ten minutes.  Empty almonds onto a plate and allow them to cool.  Return the skillet to heat.

Season the salmon fillets on both sides with herbes de Provence and place in the hot skillet.  Cover and reduce heat to low. While salmon cooks, trim the ends off the fresh asparagus spears, rinse, and drain.

After about ten minutes (depending on thickness), turn the fillets.  Add the asparagus spears.  Cover and cook an additional six minutes or just until salmon is pink all the way through (Cooking time depends on the thickness of the fillet; thinner cuts take less time) and asparagus is warm but still firm and crisp.  Remove from heat and plate.

Stir in the almonds into the cooked brown rice, divide and add to each plate.  Light candles and dine by candlelight with your favorite beverage.

To serve dessert, remove it from the freezer and cut in half.  Plate each half and serve with a fork.  Enjoy!

A home-cooked meal at home is the most romantic! Round out your evening with a romantic movie DVD. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Cheryl

Happy New Year Hummus

Are you entertaining guests this new year’s eve or new year’s day?  Looking for something different yet traditional?  I found a great recipe that satisfies the need to stick to tradition (greens, black eye peas, pork, and sweet potatoes are considered good luck foods here in the south) yet isn’t the usual fare: black eye pea hummus.  Sounds odd, but it’s delicious.

RECIPE

Black eye Pea Hummus

Ingredients:

• 4 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 small sweet onion, quartered
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup roasted red pepper
• ¼ cup tahini
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• zest of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 cups cooked and drained blackeye peas (or you can use 2 small cans, rinsed and drained)
• pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor (I use the Vita-mix), coarsely chop the cilantro, parsley, and onion.  Add all remaining ingredients and blend (5-6 on the Vita-mix) until smooth.  Serve hummus with fresh vegetables for dipping, spread on endive leaves, and/or toasted pita bread wedges.

How’s that for fusion cooking?  The southern U.S. meets the Middle East!  This is a healthful appetizer full of fiber and flavor (Those living in the southwest can substitute Anasazi beans for black eye peas for a different fusion hummus).

Happy new year!

Cheryl

Easy Vegetable Soup

The slow cooker cooks all day while you're away

Soup is a great meal for adding fiber to your diet, especially vegetables.  Soup helps you feel full more quickly, which aids weight control.  Soup is simple to make, nearly foolproof, and inexpensive. It’s good for you!

There is no single, correct recipe for making soup.  Almost any recipe turns out tasty.  Today while shopping at my favorite supermarket, I found boxes of low-fat, reduced-sodium broths on a Buy-one-get-one-free table.  I bought a couple and took the sale as a sign that I needed to make a pot of soup.  Soups made with broths don’t require meat or long cooking times to develop taste.

I also bought a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, and picked up a nice zucchini and a head of cabbage.  Back home, I poured the broth and the crushed tomatoes into my slow cooker, added diced onion, carrot, celery, chopped zucchini, ¼ head shredded cabbage, and a cup of frozen corn (but really whatever is in the produce drawer of your fridge is a potential soup ingredient).  I seasoned with three minced cloves of garlic, 1 Tablespoon herbes de Provence, and a generous dash of Redneck Pepper® Italian Redneck seasoning.  My vegetable soup is simmering now and will be ready for dinner whenever we are.  I let the soup cook at 2 (or Low)  for at least three hours. 

How does slow cooking qualify as a “hasty tasty meal” ?  It requires minimal time to prepare and minimal supervision.  Then when the hungry family members show up to eat, you have little left to do.  Don’t be afraid to try other combinations of soups in the slow cooker.  Homemade soup is so much lower in sodium and other additives than canned, and more economical, too.  I estimate my pot of soup is costing me $3.50, and will yield eight bowls of soup.  That’s a lot of soup for the money. 

One last money-saving tip:  If you have leftover soup that isn’t quite enough for another meal, stretch it by adding a ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta.

Cheryl

Minorcan Clam Chowder

Hey, it’s getting to be soup weather again. Here in the Hasty Tasty Meals kitchen I’m making a pot of Minorcan Clam Chowder. If you’re unfamiliar with Minorcan style cuisine, come to St. Augustine, Florida, where many restaurants offer dishes featuring recipes from the 18th century settlers who originated from the Spanish island of Minorca.

I’ve adapted this recipe for the more modern, Hasty Tasty Meals kitchen. I use canned clams, but if you have fresh clams, all the better!

RECIPE

Minorcan Clam chowder
Ingredients:
1 pint canned clams (do not drain)
1 Tbsp. oil
2 lbs. onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. pepper (I use Redneck Pepper® original)
¼ tsp. salt (optional–I omit because there is salt in the canned clams and juice)
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and minced

Directions:
In the pot of a 6-quart pressure cooker, add oil and sauté onions until soft. Add all other ingredients. Cover and secure lid, bring to pressure, and cook for four minutes. Remove cooker from the burner and allow it to sit 5 minutes. Release pressure according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cool chowder, and store in the refrigerator. Making the chowder ahead of time allows the flavors to season. Warm over medium heat and serve.

Note: Also good with fish instead of clams. For richer chowder, double the amount of clams.

Note that this is lower in saturated fat than New England clam chowder, and spicier than Manhattan clam chowder. Also, if you scrub the potatoes and leave on the peels, you’ll add potassium and fiber. It’s about as figure-friendly a clam chowder as you can get. Enjoy!